In this video, Natalie from the Community Media Access Collaborative delves into the meaning of media literacy. She explains the process, from encountering media and decoding messages to applying those skills to the media you create. Watch this video to learn about media literacy in depth.
We live in an age defined by media and technology. For many of us, most of our waking hours revolve around interacting with media. Media is everywhere: phones, tablets, cars, gas stations, grocery stores, etc. Media is so commonplace that we often don't think about the messages communicated to us through these different platforms. Media literacy is the ability to think critically about the media messages we come in contact with every day. Regardless, all media, including what you create, intends to communicate something.
History of Media
Media started with a period called yellow journalism. It was a time when newspapers were competing for customers and the truth wasn't the top priority. Fast forward 100 years – not much has changed. Today, we have something called clickbait. Clickbait is a juicy headline or image used to entice a reader to view a story on social media, often linking back to the news or aggregate site. Clickbait authors hope to profit from the reader or convince them of a political or social cause.
Defining Media Literacy
The National Association for Media Literacy Education defines media literacy as the ability to access, evaluate, analyze, act, communicate and create using all forms of media.Let's break down this definition.
- Access - Where you find media (e.g., Facebook, X, website) and the ability of the user to locate content.
- Does the user have the internet to allow access to media available to the general public?
- Is money, technology or location a hindrance in finding that information?
- Evaluate - Examine from where and whom the media message originates.
- Who's trying to communicate this message to the audience?
- Analyze - Examine and interpret the main ideas and make sense of the message.
- What is the creator trying to say to the audience?
- Act - Take action after processing the media message.
- What do users do with the message (e.g., buy a product, vote for a candidate, share the message with others)?
- Communicate - Share media messages with others.
- How does the audience share what they've seen, read or heard with others (e.g., talk in person or share post on Facebook)?
- Create - Generate media content to share responsibly with others.
- What is a creator's responsibility to the audience?
Essentially, media literacy is the ability to think critically about the media messages we consume, ask questions about the media we interact with and be aware of how we participate in the creation of media.
Importance of Media Literacy
The media is not just a form of entertainment. Media is a powerful communication tool that can influence and change our perspectives, beliefs and behaviors. Media is everywhere. It is a staple in our culture. The average American spends over 10 hours a day using media. This includes things like checking email, watching television or movies, listening to music, reading billboards and push notifications on electronics. All of this is media designed to communicate something to us. This is why having media literacy skills is critical because all media messages are created by someone to communicate something to us.
As a public affairs professional, you must understand and think critically about the media you interact with. Media literacy skills can help you navigate information and be smarter consumers, listeners and communicators. Media literacy is more than just spotting fake news; it's understanding advertisements and the commercial industry. It's about recognizing the difference between fact and opinion. It's about understanding representations in the media and how those representations perpetuate harmful stereotypes. Media literacy is not limited to one type of media, but rather a skill that can be applied across platforms. Having media literacy skills is just as important for producers of media as it is for consumers. It's important to know your audience, what message you're trying to communicate and how to effectively craft that message to best align with the commander's intent.